Explore the stories behind the places
Every place has a story.
Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, Connecticut.
Browse the complete collection of Story Behind The Place stories — from the people and decisions that shaped a place to the history, science, and engineering that explain how it became what it is.
Each story starts with a place. What happened there is the story.
Bloomington Indiana Janeway Statue
Bloomington has a monument to one of its famous residents. She just doesn’t live there yet.
Boston Mapparium Globe
Inside Boston’s Christian Science Publishing House, visitors cross a thirty-foot stained-glass globe on a bridge through its center. The world surrounding them looks familiar—until they begin reading the map.
Boston North End
Every American knows the name. Paul Revere. One if by land, two if by sea. But Longfellow's original poem left someone out. See Who It Was.
Grand Cayman
Ten ships wrecked on a reef in 1794. Today, the Cayman Islands have no income or corporate tax. Are those two things connected?
Spokane Falls
Spokane Falls shaped the land, fed generations and powered a growing city. Follow the river’s history through the heart of downtown Spokane.
Season One
Story Behind The Place has a new home!
We're bringing the complete Season One archive with us. Until the move is complete, you can continue to read each of the original stories below.